qt-creator/doc/api/qtcreator-api.qdoc

/****************************************************************************
**
** This file is part of Qt Creator
**
** Copyright (c) 2011 Nokia Corporation and/or its subsidiary(-ies).
**
** Contact: Nokia Corporation (info@qt.nokia.com)
**
**
** GNU Free Documentation License
**
** Alternatively, this file may be used under the terms of the GNU Free
** Documentation License version 1.3 as published by the Free Software
** Foundation and appearing in the file included in the packaging of this
** file.
**
** If you have questions regarding the use of this file, please contact
** Nokia at info@qt.nokia.com.
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/*!
    \contentspage{index.html}{Extending Qt Creator Manual}
    \page qtcreator-api.html

    \title Qt Creator API Reference

    The core of Qt Creator is
    basically only a \l{ExtensionSystem}{plugin loader}.
    All functionality is implemented in plugins. The basis of Qt Creator is
    implemented in the \l{Core} {Core} Plugin. The plugin manager provides
    simple means for plugin cooperation that allow plugins to provide
    hooks for other plugin's extensions.

    \section1 Libraries

    \section2 Core Libraries

    There are a few core libraries used by many parts of Qt Creator.

    \table
    \header
    \o Library Name
    \o Description

    \row
    \o \l{Aggregation}
    \o Adds functionality for "glueing" QObjects of different
    types together, so you can "cast" between them.

    \row
    \o \l{ExtensionSystem}
    \o Implements the plugin loader framework. Provides a base class for plugins and
    basic mechanisms for plugin interaction like an object pool.

    \row
    \o \l{Utils}
    \o General utility library.

    \endtable

    \section2 Additional libraries

    \table
    \header
    \o Library Name
    \o Description

    \row
    \o \l{qtcreatorcdbext}
    \o Windows CDB debugger extension


    \endtable

    \section1 Plugins

    As already mentioned, Qt Creator is basically only a plugin loader framework
    which gets its IDE functionality through plugins. The most important plugin
    is the Core plugin which provides all the basic functionality needed
    later to integrate e.g. editors or mode windows.

    \table
    \header
    \o Plugin Name
    \o Description

    \row
    \o \l{Core}
    \o The core plugin. Provides the main window and managers for editors,
    actions, mode windows and files, just to mention the most important ones.

    \row
    \o \l{ProjectExplorer}
    \o The project explorer plugin. Provides base classes for
    project handling.

    \row
    \o \l{Find}
    \o Support for searching text in arbitrary widgets, and arbitrary other things.

    \row
    \o \l{Locator}
    \o Hooks for providing content for Locator.

    \row
    \o \l{Debugger}
    \o Debugging functionality.

    \row
    \o \l{VCSBase}
    \o Base classes for version control support.

    \row
    \o \l{TextEditor}
    \o This is where everything starts if you want to create a text editor. Besides
    the base editor itself, this plugin contains APIs for supporting functionality
    like \l{Snippets}{snippets}, highlighting, \l{CodeAssist}{code assist}, indentation
    and style, and others.

    \endtable
*/

/*!
    \page classes.html
    \title Qt Creator Classes

    \generatelist classes
*/

/*!
    \page namespaces.html
    \title Qt Creator Namespaces

    \generatelist namespaces
*/

/*!
    \page mainclasses.html
    \title Qt Creator Main Classes

    \generatelist mainclasses

*/

/*!
    \page functions.html
    \title Qt Creator Functions

    \generatelist functionindex
*/

/*!
    \page common_extension_tasks.html
    \title Common Extension Tasks

    This section summarizes the API functions that you can use to add UI
    components to Qt Creator.

    \table
    \header
    \o Task
    \o Details
    \o API

    \row
    \o Add a menu or menu item.
    \o You can extend existing menus or create new ones.
    \o \l{Core::ActionManager}, \l{Core::Command}, \l{Core::ICore::actionManager()}

    \row
    \o Add a configurable keyboard shortcut.
    \o Registering shortcuts makes it possible for users to configure them in
       the common shortcut settings dialog.
    \o \l{Core::ActionManager}, \l{Core::Command}, \l{Core::ICore::actionManager()}

    \row
    \o Add a mode.
    \o Modes correspond to complete screens of controls, specialized for a task.
    \o \l{Core::IMode}

    \row
    \o Add a new editor type.
    \o Such as an editor for XML files.
    \o \l{Core::IEditorFactory}, \l{Core::IEditor}, \l{Core::IFile}

    \row
    \o Add a new wizard.
    \o You can extend the wizards in File > New File or Project with your own
       file and project templates.
    \o \l{Core::IWizard}, \l{Core::StandardFileWizard},
       \l{Core::BaseFileWizard}, \l{Core::BaseFileWizardParameters}

    \row
    \o Add support for a new version control system.
    \o Version control systems integrated in QtCreator are Bazaar, CVS, Git,
       Mecurial, Perforce, and Subversion.
    \o \l{Core::IVersionControl}

    \row
    \o Add a view to the navigation sidebar.
    \o The one which shows the project tree, filesystem, open documents or bookmarks.
    \o \l{Core::INavigationWidgetFactory}

    \row
    \o Add an options page to the \gui Options dialog.
    \o Add a new page to existing or new category in Tools > Options.
    \o \l{Core::IOptionsPage}

    \row
    \o Add a find filter to the \gui Find dialog.
    \o Implement any kind of search term based search.
    \o \l{Find::IFindFilter}, \l{Find::SearchResultWindow}

    \row
    \o Add support for the find tool bar to a widget.
    \o The widget that has focus is asked whether it supports text search. You can
       add support for widgets under your control.
    \o \l{Find::IFindSupport}, \l{Find::BaseTextFind}

    \row
    \o Add a completely new project type.
    \o
    \o

    \row
    \o Add a new type of build step.
    \o
    \o

    \row
    \o Add a new filter to the locator.
    \o For a text typed in by the user you provide a list of things to show in the popup. When the user selects an entry you are requested to do whatever you want.
    \o \l{Locator::ILocatorFilter}, \l{Locator::FilterEntry}, \l{Locator::BaseFileFilter}

    \row
    \o Show a progress indicator for a concurrently running task.
    \o You can show a progress indicator for your tasks in the left hand tool bar,
       and also in the application icon (on platforms that support it).
    \o \l{Core::ProgressManager}, \l{Core::FutureProgress}

    \row
    \o
    \o
    \o

    \endtable
*/